Constructing & Steering Top-Notch Tech Teams
In the ever-shifting world of technology, building and guiding high-performing teams isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s an absolute must for any shot at success. It’s the thoughtful leader who can cultivate an environment where their teams flourish, even when navigating the rough seas of complexity and continuous change.
I had a conversation with a Head of Product recently whose executive team comprises the founders. This is a fantastic spot to be in but it comes with challenges — thats a post in and of itself.
She was thinking through the company operating model options, in this case, centralized v. decentralized team structure. The founders wanted empowered teams to own their strategy, but when it came down to it, the mechanisms in building those strategies and aligning them weren’t in place, creating siloed strategies as noted when presented to the executive team. This broke trust, and rather than adjusting the mechanisms, the founders wanted to edit the decentralized structure. She stated this had occurred many times over the last year, where she has had to spend her efforts on damage control.
For a decentralized model to work, the underlying principles of the operating model must support this and be bought in by the executive team in their actions, not just their words. As I advised this Head of Product, have an honest conversation about the problem and impact of change before just changing. Coach up and state, “If we want empowered teams, we have to support empowered teams. This means setting standards to meet expectations, ways of working across these teams, and having an owner of these operations.”
People say, “That will take too long; we must act now!”. The time wasted with unthoughtful change will take more time and have a lasting impact on your team and direction. Put a number on taking away autonomy, put a number on disorganized chaos without ownership, put a number on thinking you have command and control when in reality, teams can do what they please through free will, put a number on the lack of diversity of thought. How about regrettable attrition?
I often recall the wisdom of Edwards Deming (as seen in many of my strategy presentations my teams have seen), a titan in quality management, who once observed:
“A bad system will beat a good person every time.”
Never has this been truer than in R&D operations. Even the brightest stars can dim under the weight of a poorly designed, inefficient system.To unlock sustainable success, leaders should cast their focus on building their system considering several key areas:
1. CRAFTING THE TARGET OPERATING MODEL
Think of your leadership journey as a road trip. You wouldn’t hit the road without a map or GPS, would you? Unless you are Luo Ji traveling with your imaginary girlfriend (niche Three Body Problem reference).
In the same vein, defining a target operating model — a roadmap for integrating resources, processes, and technology to deliver value — is your starting point. It’s your guiding light, illuminating the roles of individual team members, team objectives, and the overarching mission.
Leaders can write down an operating model built of thoroughly articulated values and principles to sit on the shelf of a google drive. For a target operating model to come to fruition, it must be governed, coached and iterated on, given the reality of the team and company culture as it evolves. A target is just that, a target. Targets move. If they didn’t, product-market fit would be static and I would be a millionaire by now, wondering aimless having dreams of an alternate universe in which my passion is product operations…
2. CAPTAINING ACROSS DISCIPLINES
Just as a ship needs its captain, first mate, and navigator, a successful tech team requires skilled leaders in all key areas — product, engineering, design, and operations. This diverse leadership ensures every facet of your operations is supervised by a domain expert, aligning the ship’s crew towards the strategic vision. Look forward to future posts on the intricacies of why, when and how of various operations teams in future posts.
As a quick look into my mind here, a product, engineering, or design leader with the passion and the time to operate is a unicorn — plan for balance, not unicorns. There is only so much space in our brains and so much time; bring in people for their strengths and build a team like a Swiss army knife.
3. CHASING EXECUTION EXCELLENCE
Building the foundations of an evolving Target Operating Model is much like laying the cornerstone of a grand monument — it’s all about Execution Excellence. This means making work and progress visible, managing the flow of work, measuring work’s impact, prioritizing effectively, and adjusting the sails based on new insights. Essential to empowering teams is providing visibility and autonomy and establishing an open, agile environment that nurtures innovation and sustainable growth.
Let’s dive into some critical components of execution excellence:
COLLABORATION OVER NEGOTIATION
If collaboration is the lifeblood of high-performing teams, then a negotiation culture can be likened to a clot. Promote an atmosphere where members contribute their unique skills and insights towards a shared vision. Cultivating this spirit ensures that team members feel valued and respected, leading them to contribute to the group’s success actively. This addresses how decisions should be made but not by who — as I find consensus to be the death of great teams. I favor other decision models that promote a ‘agree/disagree and commit’. Chris Butler has presented many great thoughts around decision making.
DIRECTION BALANCED WITH URGENCY
True productivity isn’t about being a whirlwind of activity, it’s about meaningful progression. Encourage your team to focus on driving change and making an impact rather than merely checking tasks off a list. This results-oriented mindset fuels continuous improvement and imparts a sense of accomplishment.
IMPACT OVER FEATURES
The real triumph of a product is not in its features, but in the impact it makes on its users. Guide your team to prioritize delivering significant, meaningful impact over simply adding more bells and whistles. This mindset helps your team develop innovative solutions that address genuine user needs, creating enduring value. Same applied to process folks…
HONORING RESPONSIBILITY
Accountability, much like the keystone in an arch, is essential to high-performing teams. Encourage team members to take ownership of their tasks and outcomes, viewing both successes and failures as learning opportunities. As a leader, embodying accountability and offering the necessary support allows your team members to take responsibility for their actions, facilitating professional growth.
4. HARBORING FLEXIBILITY
The ability to change direction when the wind shifts marks high-performing teams. Nurturing a culture of adaptability empowers your team to respond to new information, alter course when required, and constantly seek out innovation. By fostering this environment, you prepare your team to traverse the ever-changing tech landscape with resilience and finesse. Our world has a lot of thoughts on this (thanks Agile Manifesto) but its simple, inflexible plans are the death trap of innovation.
Product operations forms the rudder of this ship, guiding high-performing teams by providing structure, clarity, and strategic alignment. Leaders can unlock their teams’ full potential by weaving these qualities into their leadership style, fostering an environment ripe for innovation, adaptability, and sustainable growth.
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